Hannah Arendt on Lying in Politics: A Philosophical Perspective

Abstract

Contemporary politics the world over suffers bad names in various states, nations or countries. Hence, in very many countries today citizens largely describe politics as a dirty game and the politicians as thieves of some sorts, such as pen robbers, fraudsters, and very dishonest and untrustworthy people or individuals out to hoodwink and shortchange the citizens. When a serious matter arises, some people are quick to say that they are not talking or playing politics and thereby implying that politics is a base and banal phenomenon. Whenever a matter becomes political, nobody takes anybody seriously, rather the common belief in such circumstance is that each person is being selfish and seeking to dominate others or impose his or her will on others at all cost in the most an unscrupulous manner. The maxim goes in Nigeria that ‘there is no permanent friend or permanent enemy but permanent interest in politics’ just to underscore unpredictability of politicians. Yet politicians are so capricious that they are ever ready to change as their fancy or imagination changes. This work seeks to x-ray the evil of lying in the political sphere here considered under Hannah Arendt’s conception of it based on her American experience of democracy. While the paper joins Hannah Arendt in mourning this debasement of politics by politicians, it maintains in the final analysis that mass literacy and enlightenment of the citizenry are imperative in checkmating the politicians’ penchant for lies and deceit. The reason is that when the citizens understand the intricacies in governance through proper education and enlightenment, they will be predisposed to
demand for, and be able to benefit fully from true transparency in the public affairs.